Refrigeration apparatus



Feb. Q, 1932. R. CLAYTON REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed Dec. 6, 1930 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented F eh. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT CLAYTON, 0F OVERIBROOK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH TO 'IP. FRANK SONNEK, OF WOODHAVEN, NEW YORK REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Application flled December 6, 1930. Serial No. 500,505.

During the freezing process moisture" from the atmosphere and from the foods placed in the refrigerator collects on the cooling unit and the associated drawers or trays, forming an ice-coating, or frosting between the walls of the drawers or trays and the compartments within which they are housed, so that they are virtually sealed in position within the cooling unit. Therefore, when it is desired to withdraw or remove a tray from the cooling unit, it is necessary to break the ice or frost seal which, due to the relatively small clearances between the trays and the surrounding walls of the cooling unit, is extremely difficult to accomplish without damage to the trays or to the walls of the cooling unit. A knife, screw-driver, ice-pick, or other relatively flat sharp implement is customarily employed to effect a cleavage of the line of icing or frosting which binds the trays to the cooling unit walls, and, in many instances, the trays or walls are badly bent, and sometimes cut or perforated in the operation of breaking the ice seal, so that the trays may be withdrawn to make their contents accessible.

Various attempts have been made to prevent the formation of the ice seal about the trays by the use of non-freezing solutions interposed between the base and sides of the trays and the walls of the cooling unit, and by mechanical means which are designed to effect a tilting movement of a'tray prior to Kill ' the manualwithdrawal movement thereof.

However, none of these expedients has proven successful in practical use of refrigeration apparatus, which, obviously is placed in the hands of those who are unskilled in the prop er handling of such devices. In some cases,

manufacturers of refrigeration machines of the household types have endeavored to solve the problem by increasing the clearance between the sides'and bottoms of the trays and the walls of the cooling unit. However, this has been found to be ineffective, and, furthermore, materially prolongs the period which is required for freezing the contents of the trays. Again, the loosely fitting trays do not give the cooling unit the desired finished appearance.

Therefore, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a mechanical means for breaking the ice seal between the sides and bottom of an ice tray, or'drawer, and the walls of the compartment of a cooling unit of the refrigerating machine within which it is housed, which is of a simple and durable construction, and which will overcome the disadvantages that are inherent to previous forms of the mechanical devices of the kind and to the use of non-freezin solutions.

More specifically, it is the o ject of this invention to provide a mechanism which may be readily manipulated by one desiring to withdraw an ice tray from the cooling unit within which it is housed, to break the seal produced by the surrounding ice, ice film, or coating, by effecting the bodlly movement of the tray in a vertical plane, the means which I utilize being susceptible of incorporation in existing refrigerating machines, aswell as in apparatus especially designed-for its use.

A further object of my invention is to provide mechanical means, manually actuatable, to simultaneously effect the movement of an ice tray,'relative to a compartment in which it is enclosed, in two intersecting planes, so that by a single movement the ice seal will be broken and the tray partially expelled or extruded from its compartment.

Other objects and advantages flowing from I the practicing of my invention will doubtless become evident as the description proceeds, and I would have it understood that I reserve unto myself all rights to the full range of equivalents, both in structure and in uses, to I which I may be entitled under my invention in its broadest aspect.

For the purposes of this disclosure, I have elected to show and describe a certain embodiment of my invention. However, my

- invention may take other forms and various changes in the structure 'of details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as defined by the appended claims. 4

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a cooling unit of a conventional design withcooperating freezing trays, in which my invention is incorporated.

Fig. 2' is a vertical cross section-of the structure shown in Fig. 1, disclosing the position of the releasing mechanism or means when the tray is enclosed within the cooling unit for the freezing of the material therein con tained.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating the mode of operation of the tray-releasing means, and. v 1 Fig. 4- is a view in perspective of the trayreleasing mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, in which like characters of reference are employed to designate similar parts in the several views, 7 indicates the cooling unit, and 8 the dessert or water-freezing tray, which is of the conventional oblong or rectangular shape having a front face 9 formed with a portion 9 which projects above the upper edges of the meeting side portions or walls of the tray. The vertical dimensions of the compartment within which the tray is housed is slightly greater at its front end than the depth of the body portion of the tray; so that when the tray is in position for the freezing of the material therein, the aforesaid upwardly projecting portion 9 of the front face of the tray will abut upon the, front wall of the compartment 7, so as to present a finished and pleasing appearance to the observer of the unit.

Below each tray which may be supported within the cooling unit by any suitable means, as, for example, the ways or tracks 7 I provide a shaft or rod 10 which is mounted in bearings 11 and 12 located in the front and rear walls, respectively, of the cooling unit compartment ,7, these hearings being preferably of an anti-friction material.

Mounted on the aforesaid shaft 10, and

keyed or otherwise fixed" thereto to rotatetherewith, are a pair of cams 13 and 14, one

being positioned between the vertical center line of the tray and the front wallof the compartment, while the other is intermediate of I said center line and the rear end of the tray. Also mounted on said shaft 10 adjacent its inner end is a cam 15 having a surface 15,, which normally abuts upon the rear wall of the tray '8 and functions as a stop in conjunction with the portion 9 of the frontwall 9 of the tray to locate the latter when it is As will be observed, the forward end of the shaft 10 projects through the bearing 11 and is provided with a handle or grip 16, whereby the shaft may be manually rotated to bring the'efl'ective surfaces of the cams 13 and 14 into Icontaotwith the bottom of the tray so as to exert an upward pressure thereupon, it being apparent that the rotative movement of the shaft to function the, cams 13and 14 will also actuate the cam 15 in engagement with the rear wall of the tray to efiect the movement of a tray in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said shaft. In other words, a single rotative movement of the shaft 10 will simultaneously produce a bodily movement of the tray 8 in a vertical and in a horizontal plane, the forces generated by the .action of the cams 13 and 14 and the cam 15 being ample to break any ice or frost which may have formed between the bottom and walls of the tray and its supports or the surfaces of the surrounding compartment, it being obvious that the efiective surface of the cam 15 is designed to produce a continuing expelling movement of the tray which will insure the contents of the tray.

' against spillage of any liquid material which may have been placed in the tray for a brief period of cooling or chilling.

When the tray has been expelled to the position shown in Fig. 3, it may be readily withdrawn from the compartment by means of the usual handle 9 provided on its front face 9. i

From the foregoing description of my invention, it will be manifest that I have devised a simple, economical, and effective means for attaining the objectives to which this invention is directed. Further, by a single movement the ice seal is broken and the tray simultaneously expelled from the compartment in a position where it may be readil-y withdrawn without canting it transversely or longitudinally with the ofttimes objec- I tionable consequences of existing devices of the prior art.

I claim: J 1.. The combination with a cooling unit of a refrigerating machine adapted to house a tray in which water may be frozen, of means for breaking ice which may form between said tray and the surroundingportions of said coolingunit, said means embodying elements for simultaneously applying pressure to said tray in intersecting planes.

2. The combination with a cooling unit of a refrigerating machine adapted to house a a tray in which water may be frozen, of means for breaking ice which may formbetween said tray and. the surrounding portions of said cooling unit, said means including a shaft, cams-carried by said shaft formed to engage the base of said tray and means con.-

. said cooling unit, said means including a shaft mounted beneath said tray, a plurality of cams fixed to said shaft, certain of said cams having surfaces for engagement with the base of said tray, another of said cams contacting with the rear wall of said tray and means for rotating said shaft to simultaneously render all of said cams effective to move said tray vertically and horizontally,-

the horizontal movement being in a direction outward from said compartment.

l. The combination with a cooling unit of a refrigerating machine adapted to house a tray in which water may be frozen, of means for breaking ice which may form between said tray and the surroundingportions of said cooling unit, said meansincluding a shaft mounted in bearings in said compartment below said tray, a plurality of cams till! fixed to said shaft, certain. of said cams being normally out of contact with said tray and having surfaces engageable therewith to exert an upward pressure on the bottom thereof, another of said (cams being in contact with the rear wall of said tray and hav ing a surface effective thereupon to exert pressure upon said wall to move said tray longitudinally and means for rotating said shaft to simultaneously function all of said cams to effect the bodily movement of said tray in two intersecting planes.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a device adapted for incorporation in a refrigerating machine for releasing removable ioe-' bound trays from the cooling unit thereof, said device comprising a shaft having cams fixed thereto, said cams being respectively located between the transverse axis of said shaft and its ends, said cams being adapted to engage the bottom of a tray when said shaft is mounted therebelow, and an additional cam on said shaft shaped to engage the rear wall of a tray, all of said cams being designed to. simultaneously cooperate upon the rotation of the shaftto apply pres sure to a tray with which they are engaged to move the same vertically and horizontally.

6. A means for releasing an ice-bound tray froin the cooling unit of a refrigerating machine by applying pressure to said tray to effect the bodily movement thereof in two intersecting planes, including a plurality of elements adapted to engage said tray and a common actuating means for all of said elements operable by a single movement to effect the release of said tray as aforesaid.

ROBERT CLAYTON, 

